‘Your maids—of course.’
‘And how many are we to have?’
‘As many as will do the work.’
‘A cook and housemaid—I wonder if that would be enough?’
‘Don’t ask me, that’s all’
‘I know you don’t like to be teased,’ she said, submissively; ‘but one or two things I do want to know. Is James to be in the house?’
‘Why, yes; he is a handy fellow. We will have him down for Simmonds to give him some training.’
‘Then ought we to have two maids or three?’
He held up his hands, and escaped.
That morning John, happening to come into the drawing-room, found Violet disconsolately covering a sheet of paper with figures.